The Bill
Series 2
198512 episodes
The second series of The Bill, a British television drama, consisted of twelve episodes, broadcast between 11 November 1985 and 10 February 1986. Many of the cast and crew shared their memories of making this second series for the book Witness Statements, including stars John Salthouse, Eric Richard, Trudie Goodwin, Mark Wingett, Peter Ellis, Nula Conwell, Jon Iles, Larry Dann, Colin Blumenau, Robert Hudson, Ashley Gunstock and Ralph Brown; along with writers Barry Appleton, Lionel Goldstein, Ginnie Hole and Christopher Russell, producer Peter Cregeen and directors Michael Ferguson and John Woods.
Episode 1
Snouts and Red Herrings
Nov 11, 1985
Amidst renovation chaos at Sun Hill, a new P.C., Abe Lyttleton, arrives a day early. He is Sun Hill's first black police officer, and although he is friendly and popular, his arrival is not appreciated by bigoted cop P.C. Pete Muswell. D.C. Dashwood recognises a man who has brought in his papers for a car (licence, M.O.T. form and insurance). He is using a false name and address. During electrical repairs, the personal radios are out of action and as a result, a CID operation is blown.
Episode 2
Suspects
Nov 18, 1985
Martella arrests a woman who has been 'pregnant' for 13 months, concealing stolen cigarettes in the 'bulge'.
Episode 3
Lost
Nov 25, 1985
DS Roach and DC Dashwood are on an obbo at a phone box to catch someone making hoax bomb threats to the Town Hall. Another case soon takes precedence, however, when a woman arrives at the station and reports her eight-year-old daughter Samantha missing. When Samantha's friend Theresa tells WPC Ackland that they were approached by a flasher, there is concern that the girl could have been abducted by a child sex offender. CID question suspects in the area while a full-scale search is underway. Ackland notices that Samantha likes boats, so the search is concentrated in the docks area, and a drunken boat owner gives a description of a woman he saw with the girl. With Roach and Dashwood halfway to Brighton to question a paedophile, a call comes in to PC Carver in the incident room from a shop assistant who recognised Samantha and the woman who bought her some colouring books. Finding the woman's identity from credit card slips, DI Galloway and WPC Ackland find Samantha safe and well in the
Episode 4
Home Beat
Dec 2, 1985
Brownlow wants to start a Neighbourhood watch scheme with the support of Smith and Carver. After a rather heated meeting that got hijacked by interlopers, he discovers his petrol was nicked. The Ahmeds are having problems as racist language has been graffitied upon their house, soon after a protest erupts and their house is later firebombed. CID raid a modern day 'Fagin' who has been using a youth group as cover.
Episode 5
Hostage
Dec 9, 1985
Sgt. Cryer is taking half the relief out on Sun Hill's annual fishing trip. P.C. Smith and D.C. Dashwood go to serve a warrant on Russell Archer over a non-appearance in court on a poaching charge. Archer manages to escape from Dashwood and Smith, and is later seen menacing a milkman with a sawn-off shotgun. He later holds up a bookies and a greengrocer, until he is spotted by P.C. Carver and P.C. Frank. who give chase. Frank is shot and wounded during the chase, and Archer ends up taking an elderly woman hostage in a retirement village. With the fishing trip cancelled, D.S. Roach takes charge of the siege operation until D.I. Galloway and Ch. Supt. Brownlow arrives. Attempts to contact the increasingly unstable Archer fail, until he asks to speak to Sgt. Cryer whom he saw in the betting shop. Cryer enters the flat, and attempts to talk Archer into giving himself up. With W.P.C. Ackland posing as a Meals-on-Wheels driver, Galloway, Roach and PT17 officers storm the flat and shoot Arche
Episode 6
This Little Pig
Dec 23, 1985
P.C. Taffy Edwards corners a pig that was released from the City Farm and gets dropped in it by P.C. Muswell. Muswell has problems with income tax on wages from the miner's strike. P.C. Reg Hollis makes initial enquiries about the Chief Super's clerk's job. Both D.I. Galloway and P.C. Cryer have problems with an overtime clamp-down and get another lecture from Brownlow about it. Fur protestors are arrested outside a fur shop. Taffy, W.P.C. June Ackland and Muswell arrests a man on his wedding day for non-appearance in court.
Episode 7
Ringer
Jan 6, 1986
There is a serious road crash involving a Porsche, a motorcycle, a coach, a lorry and a Cortina resulting in six deaths. The Porsche had been tampered with prior to the accident and turns out to have been made of three different cars. Brownlow sets up a temporary morgue at a local school; W.P.C. Martella and P.C. Muswell have the job of informing relatives of the deaths. After following the trail from the Porsche, D.I. Galloway raids a scrapyard only to find D.S. Burnside from the robbery squad undercover as a buyer, about to break the ring, but having forgotten to tell Galloway.
Episode 8
Public and Confidential
Jan 13, 1986
A man is throwing tiles off a roof and P.C. Lyttleton, who is suffering from vertigo, is sent up to arrest him. A Polish sailor turns up at the station seeking political asylum. D.S. Roach and D.C. Dashwood catch a man who has been ripping people off posing as a gas board official. Ch. Supt. Brownlow talks to P.C. Edwards about taking a position in the coroner's office. Sgt. Cryer is shocked when Mrs. Penny accuses her husband of beating her up.
Episode 9
Loan Shark
Jan 20, 1986
A young mother caught shoplifting at a supermarket confesses to Sgt Cryer that she is in debt to local loan shark 'Aunty' Peg Miller. PC Edwards checks cases of fly tipping (unauthorised dumping of rubble) in the area and discovers some disaffected Welsh miners may be responsible. A Mrs Taylor makes a complaint about a noisy neighbour, but when WPC Ackland investigates, she finds the neighbour dead.
Episode 10
With Friends Like That...?
Jan 27, 1986
Sgt. Cryer brings in an assault victim who is reluctant to report a rape. Jane has problems interviewing the rape victim (Debbie) because of her friend's (Sandra) constant interference. Sandra then tells Muswell that Debbie got what she deserved from Sandra's boyfriend Roach investigates a burglary with the householder claiming more jewelry was taken than was recovered. The burglars are denying they took the extra stuff
Episode 11
Whose Side Are You On?
Feb 3, 1986
D.C. Mike Dashwood has organised a five-a-side indoor football match against a local youth group. Ch. Supt. Brownlow sees it as great publicity, and ropes in D.I. Roy Galloway for photo opportunities, despite his objections. D.S. Ted Roach investigate the murder of an old derelict, known only as 'King Henry'. P.C. Jim Carver injures his ankle chasing some bag-snatchers, and while Sgt. Cryer takes his place on the beat, Dashwood thinks Cryer is too old to take Carver's place on the team. P.C. Abe Lyttleton suggests W.P.C. Viv Martella, as she is good at netball. Dashwood convinces her to join the team, gaining brownie points from Mr Brownlow for selecting a W.P.C. for the squad. P.C. Pete Muswell arrests an unlicensed trader at the market selling fake designer watches. He chats up a traffic warden, and arranges to meet her for a date, but she stands him up. Muswell turns up at the match, and Cryer has a word with him about his prejudice against Lyttleton. After a shaky start, the Sun Hi
Episode 12
The Chief Super's Party
Feb 10, 1986
P.C. Muswell and P.C. Lyttleton are on the lookout for a lorry full of stolen woolen coats. Ch. Supt. Brownlow is throwing a farewell party for his retiring clerk. D.I. Roy Galloway questions D.S. Burnside when he gatecrashes the party, and Burnside admits that he fancies June Ackland. D.C. Mike Dashwood realises the scotch being poured at the bar has been stolen, and Galloway asks Ackland to keep the remaining bottles aside as evidence. Despite warnings from the D.I. and the Chief Super, D.S. Ted Roach drives home extremely drunk and crashes his car into a fence. Knowing he'll be sacked if he's found out, Roach sleeps on a friend's boat overnight while he sobers up, but spots the coat thieves on the docks when he awakens, and the men are arrested when they are found stuck in a freezer. Roach also sweet-talks the man whose garden he crashed into by offering to get him into the Special Constabulary. P.C. Reg Hollis grasses on Roach to Brownlow, in the hope of getting the clerk's job. De